Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-28
a STRONG MINORITY REPORT.

a STRONG MINORITY REPORT.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.-The minority
report prepared BY Senator George and
sign ny all the Democrat members of
the S nate committee on judiciary upon
the Hoar bill To provide inquests under
naiiOual Authority, declares it, - he the
opinion If the signers that the
measure is uDwarranted by the COZ ST.
tuition and that its passage would
be a grave aud serious usurDatiOn by
Congress Of powers reserved 10 me
states. The report discusses e. great
length the relations Of general TO state
government, and the rights reserved 20
each under the cOnstitu ion. Congress,
it declares, can pass no law upon the sub
jet of personal conflicts between private
individuals Of different races,
and personal wrong perpe-
tusted by one another or between
persons Of 4 Terent political parties or
wrongs done by ore party man on another
because Cf opinions which the Injured
party may entertain or express. The
authors of this bill, it says, have not
been backward in asserting the
power Of Congress over subjects
cOgnate 10 these mentioned in this bill
| Independent OF any support which they
may have given to many acts of Congress,
which may, Gave be, Il decided unConstitu-
! tlonal By the Supreme court, they have
| introduced bills cont, mporaneouslY with
decisions in these cases which contained
associations OF EXTREMIST power
over subjects. II is no d'f .nse
of the cons,itutiorsl!ty OF this Till,
/ say the minority, that it assumes
no jurisdiction or power over pers rs to
punish or restrain them, but simply
directs the right to make inquisiti0n con-
corning crimes committed IN state and
whose trial and punishment are
solely in her jurisdition. The question for
decision is hiss Congress the power to
pass the bill? Certsiuly the power is not
among those expressly conferred in the
constitution. If 1t were Isimed as an
incidental power then its advocates must
point out the express power for
carrying it ont which in this bill
was necessary. This could not De
done, but the bill, the report
says, is not even entitled TO the defense
of being entirely imp8tent aud harmless.
| II is lmpOtent tor all purposes Of good
and orderly government, but it has sn
extraordinary rigor of evil. 1t estab
li-hes an uEwarrGuted federal
| espionage over matters conf
dent exclusively to the jurisdiction
OF the states. Ii invites and encourages
| irrespon slblc and disseminated persons to
subject the cODdact OF TIER neishbors 20
! Investigation by tribunal before which
these persons thus slandered have no op-
| portuDity OF appearing or srmmoning
witnesses. 1t is true that the tribunal
has no power to render judgment against
| them which will affect their lives, their
! liberty or their property, but it has power
in an eXpsrte inquisitorisl way of giving
oflicia! form ard body and substance to
accusations which there has been no Op-
portunity to meet, TO destroy the char
acter and to blacken the names OF citi-
Z ms whu are not heard in their own de-
Tense, to stamp as genuine the tone Of
SANDERS and lbels, to give currency
to biackguardsIa and perjury. II de-
stroys the whole scheme of the constitu-
ton. 1t does not enter the vestibule
mercy to deface or destroy some name.
but it saps and undermines the founda-
tons of the temple itself"
NOVEL TORPEDO BOAT.
WASHINGTON, Feb. PA working
vas exhibited to the members Of the
| hIuo naval CuHlillLlSS ASStrIuhy Wy bIe
inventor, General Berdsn. The boat Is
intended 20 do effective service ia CsssS
where other torpedo boats have
failed, that is, where tine
craft 8. acked is protected by
4 network of chGins, suspended
beyond tie hull by sp2rs TIE moAel is
that OF vessel $50 feet in length, twenty
feet in breadth, sixteen feet il depth, and
is intended to attain 9 speed CT "a Clio
knots per hour. The feature OF this craft
consi is of pair of brass tubes arranged
vertically on the sides and opening down
ward, capable of firing torpedoes con-
| tang 200 mounds of dynamite or other